Sarah Chadwick, USA, 17

Project: March For Our Lives

Basic Human Needs: Safety

On February 14, 2018, an armed gunman entered Sarah’s high school and opened fire, killing 14 students and 3 staff members, and injuring 17 others – a tragic event that the world came to know as the Parkland shooting. Three days later, Sarah and a group of students formed March For Our Lives (MFOL). MFOL is a student-led nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing gun violence of all forms in the United States. In March 2018, they organized an event to protest gun violence and demand safer schools and communities. Hundreds of thousands of people turned up to show their support and more than 800 sister marches took place across the U.S. and beyond. MFOL also played a role in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, encouraging youth to vote and registering thousands of voters. In November 2018, there was a 188% increase in early voting turnout for 18 - 29 year-olds in the United States compared to the 2014 midterm elections. That same month, MFOL won the International Children's Peace Prize. The Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional young person making a huge impact to improve children’s rights worldwide. Sarah looks forward to the U.S. government passing gun legislation in the near future that protects not only children in schools, but also communities that are plagued by this epidemic every single day.